Inhibitors of tryptase for the treatment of mast cell-mediated diseases

Human tryptase is a structurally unique and mast cell specific trypsin-like serine protease. Recent biological and immunological investigations have implicated tryptase as a mediator in the pathology of numerous allergic and inflammatory conditions including rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and most notably asthma. A growing body of data further implicates tryptase in certain gastrointestinal, dermatological, and cardiovascular disorders as well. The recent availability of potent, and selective tryptase inhibitors, though, has facilitated the validation of this protease as an important therapeutic target as well. Herein, we describe the design and potency of four classes of selective tryptase inhibitors, of which the first three types are synthetic and the fourth is natural in origin: 1) peptidic inhibitors (e.g., APC-366), 2) dibasic inhibitors (i.e., pentamidine-like), 3) Zn(2+)-mediated inhibitors (i.e., BABIM-like), and 4) heparin antagonists (e.g., lactoferrin). These inhibitors have been tested in the airways and skin of allergic sheep. Aerosol administration of tryptase inhibitors from each structural class 30 minutes before, and 4 hours and 24 hours after allergen challenge, abolishes late phase bronchoconstriction and airway hyperresponsiveness in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, intradermal injection of APC-366 blocks the cutaneous response to antigen. These studies provide the essential proof-of-concept for the further pursuit of tryptase inhibitors for the treatment of asthma, and perhaps other allergic diseases. Results from clinical studies with the first generation tryptase inhibitor APC-366, currently in phase II trials for the treatment of asthma, provide additional support for a pathological role for tryptase in this disease. Notable advances in the area of tryptase inhibitor design at Axys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. include a novel, zinc-mediated, serine protease inhibitor technology (described herein), and the discovery of a unique class of extremely potent and selective dibasic tryptase inhibitors. Independently, an X-ray crystal structure of active tryptase tetramer complexed with 4-amidinophenyl pyruvic acid has been reported. It is anticipated that these discoveries will further accelerate the design of structurally novel tryptase inhibitors as well as the development of new drugs for the treatment of mast cell tryptase-mediated disorders.

Characterization of the mevalonate kinase 5'-untranslated region provides evidence for coordinate regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis

Using a probe derived from the 5'-untranslated region of the human mevalonate kinase (MK) cDNA, we screened a lambda gt 11 genomic library and obtained a single clone containing the 5' untranslated region of the gene. Nucleotide sequencing identified several putative regulatory elements, including two Sp1 (GC box) elements and a CCAAT box. A canonical TATA box was not detected. Directly adjacent to one Sp1 element was a sterol regulatory element (SRE), 5'-CACCCCAG-3', which was a 7/8 base pair match to the consensus sequences identified in the genes encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A synthase and reductase, and the LDL receptor. There was no Sp1 element upstream of the SRE. Northern blot analysis in human CRL1508T cells revealed that quantities of MK poly A+ RNA increased for cells grown in the presence of lipid-deficient calf serum, and further increased upon addition of 1 microM lovastatin. Primer extension analysis with human poly A+ RNA suggested at least 4 transcription initiation sites downstream from the CCAAT box. To assess sterol responsiveness of transcription initiation, a 1.4 kb genomic fragment upstream of the translational start site was fused to the pSV2cat vector for transient expression in COS-7 cells, with chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) as the reporter gene. This construct demonstrated modest levels of CAT expression which was induced > 2-fold when cells were grown in lipoprotein-deficient calf serum. Our data provide further evidence for coordinate regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis in response to sterol.

Post-translational regulation of mevalonate kinase by intermediates of the cholesterol and nonsterol isoprene biosynthetic pathways

To assess the potential for feedback inhibition by isoprene intermediates in the cholesterol and nonsterol isoprene biosynthetic pathway, we expressed human cDNAs encoding mevalonate kinase (MKase), phosphomevalonate kinase (PMKase), and mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (MDDase) as fusion proteins in Escherichia coli DH5alpha, and purified these proteins by affinity chromatography. Several phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated isoprenes were analyzed as inhibitors of the enzymes using a standard spectrophotometric assay. Of the three proteins, only MKase was inhibited through competitive interaction at the ATP-binding site. The intermediates studied (and their relative inhibitory capacity) were: geranylgeranyl-diphosphate (GGPP, C20) > farnesyl-diphosphate (FPP, C15) > geranyl-diphosphate (GPP, C10) > isopentenyl-diphosphate (IPP, C5) > or = 3,3-dimethylallyl-diphosphate (DMAPP, C5) > farnesol (C15) > dolichol-phosphate (DP, C(80-100)). Mevalonate-diphosphate, geraniol, and dolichol were not inhibitors. Our data further define the spectrum of physiologic inhibitors of MKase, and provide the first evidence for feedback inhibition of MKase by a nonsterol isoprene produced by the branched pathway, dolichol-phosphate. These results provide additional evidence that MKase may occupy a central regulatory role in the control of cholesterol and nonsterol isoprene biosynthesis.

Lactoferrin, a potent tryptase inhibitor, abolishes late-phase airway responses in allergic sheep

Tryptase, a serine protease released exclusively from activated mast cells, has been implicated as a potential causative agent in asthma. Enzymatically active tryptase is comprised of four subunits, and heparin stabilizes the associated tetramer. Lactoferrin, a cationic protein released from activated neutrophils, binds tightly to heparin, therefore we investigated lactoferrin as an inhibitor of tryptase and found that it is both a potent (Ki' is 24 nM) and selective inhibitor. Size exclusion chromatography studies revealed that lactoferrin disrupted the quaternary structure of active tryptase. Lactoferrin was tested in an allergic sheep model of asthma; aerosolized lactoferrin (10 mg in 3 ml phosphate-buffered saline, 0.5 h before as well as 4 and 24 h after inhalation challenge by Ascaris suum) abolished both late-phase bronchoconstriction (no significant increase in specific lung resistance 4 to 8 h following provocation, p < 0.05 versus vehicle treatment) and airway hyperresponsiveness (no detectable increase in airway sensitivity to carbachol challenge 24 h after antigen challenge, p < 0.05 versus vehicle). These data suggest tryptase involvement in both late-phase bronchoconstriction and airway hyperreactivity and furthermore suggest that a physiological function of neutrophil lactoferrin is the inhibition of tryptase released from mast cells.

Tryptase inhibitors block allergen-induced airway and inflammatory responses in allergic sheep

Tryptase, a mast cell serine protease, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of allergic asthma, but formal evidence to support this hypothesis has been limited by the lack of specific inhibitors for use in vivo. Therefore, in this study we examined the effects of two inhibitors of tryptase, APC 366 [N-(1-hydroxy-2-naphthoyl)-L-arginyl-L-prolinamide hydrochloride] and BABIM [bis(5-amidino-2-benzimidazolyl)methane] on antigen-induced early and late responses, airway responsiveness as measured by carbachol provocation, microvascular permeability as measured by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) albumin concentrations, and tissue eosinophilia from biopsies in allergic sheep. APC 366 and BABIM were administered by aerosol in all experiments. In vehicle control trials, antigen challenge resulted in peak early and late increases in specific lung resistance (SRL) of (mean +/- SE, n = 6) 259 +/- 30% and 183 +/- 27% over baseline, respectively. Treatment with APC 366 (9 mg/3 ml H2O given 0.5 h before, 4 h after, and 24 h after antigen challenge) slightly reduced the peak early response (194 +/- 41%), but significantly inhibited the late response (38 +/- 6%, p < 0.05 versus control trials). Twenty-four hours after challenge, APC 366 also completely blocked the antigen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness to inhaled carbachol observed in the control trial.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Molecular cloning of human mevalonate kinase and identification of a missense mutation in the genetic disease mevalonic aciduria

Mevalonic aciduria is the first proposed inherited disorder of the cholesterol/isoprene biosynthetic pathway in humans, and it is presumed to be caused by a mutation in the gene coding for mevalonate kinase. To elucidate the molecular basis of this inherited disorder, a 2.0-kilobase human mevalonate kinase cDNA clone was isolated and sequenced. The 1188-base pair open reading frame coded for a 396-amino acid polypeptide with a deduced M(r) of 42,450. The predicted protein sequence displayed similarity to those of galactokinase and the yeast RAR1 protein, indicating that they may belong to a common gene family. Southern hybridization studies demonstrated that the mevalonate kinase gene is located on human chromosome 12 and is a single copy gene. No major rearrangements were detected in the mevalonic aciduria subject. The relative size (2 kilobases) and amounts of human mevalonate kinase mRNA were not changed in mevalonic aciduria fibroblasts. Approximately half of the mevalonic aciduria cDNA clones encoding mevalonate kinase contained a single base substitution (A to C) in the coding region at nucleotide 902 that changed an asparagine residue to a threonine residue. The presence of this missense mutation was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and allele-specific hybridization of the genomic DNAs from the proband and the proband's father and brother. Similar analysis failed to detect this mutation in the proband's mother, seven normal subjects, or four additional mevalonic aciduria subjects, indicating that the mutation does not represent a common gene polymorphism. Functional analysis of the defect by transient expression confirmed that the mutation produced an enzyme with diminished activity. Our data suggest that the index case is a compound heterozygote for a mutation in the mevalonate kinase gene.

Mevalonate kinase is localized in rat liver peroxisomes

Recent data suggest that rat liver peroxisomes play a critical role in cholesterol synthesis. Specifically, peroxisomes contain a number of enzymes required for cholesterol synthesis as well as sterol carrier protein-2. Furthermore, peroxisomes are involved in the in vitro synthesis of cholesterol from mevalonate and contain significant levels of apolipoprotein E, a major constituent of several classes of plasma lipoproteins. In this study we have investigated the subcellular localization of mevalonate kinase (EC 2.7.1.36; ATP:mevalonate-5-phosphotransferase). Mevalonate kinase is believed to be a cytosolic enzyme and catalyzes the phosphorylation of mevalonate to form mevalonate 5-phosphate. Mevalonate kinase has been purified from rat liver cytosol and a cDNA clone coding for rat mevalonate kinase has also been isolated and characterized. In this study, utilizing monoclonal antibodies made against the purified rat mevalonate kinase, we demonstrate the presence of mevalonate kinase in rat liver peroxisomes and in the cytosol. Each of these compartments contained a different form of the protein. The pI and the Mr of the peroxisomal protein is 6.2 and 42,000, respectively. The pI and Mr of the cytosolic protein is 6.9 and 40,000, respectively. The peroxisomal protein was also significantly induced by a number of different hypolipidemic drugs. In addition, we present evidence for the unexpected finding that the purified mevalonate kinase (isolated from the cytosol and assumed to be a cytosolic protein) is actually a peroxisomal protein.

Effects of long-term administration of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on cholesterol synthesis in lens

The effects of long-term dosing with inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase on the rate of cholesterol biosynthesis were examined in the lens and liver of rats and hamsters. While both pravastatin and lovastatin inhibited incorporation of [14C]acetate into cholesterol in liver slices 2-4 hr after an oral dose, lovastatin, but not pravastatin, inhibited sterol synthesis in lens as well. At 24 hr after a single oral dose, cholesterol synthesis in livers from drug-treated animals was increased compared to controls. This induction of the cholesterol synthetic pathway was observed for both drugs in the liver but only for lovastatin in the lens. After 4 days of once-daily oral doses, synthesis in the lens was induced two to threefold by lovastatin but not by pravastatin. When the drug was included in the continuous diet for 4-5 days, lovastatin caused increases in cholesterol synthesis in the lens whereas lenses from pravastatin-treated animals were identical to controls. This was not a species-specific effect since a similar tissue selectivity was observed in the hamster. The increase in cholesterol synthesis in lenses observed in lovastatin-treated rats was accompanied by an increase in the activity of HMG-CoA reductase enzyme. These studies demonstrate that non-selective HMG-CoA reductase enzyme inhibitors can inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the lens, and following this inhibition a marked induction in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway develops in the lens and this induction is associated with an increase in HMG-CoA reductase enzyme activity.

Molecular cloning of mevalonate kinase and regulation of its mRNA levels in rat liver

Mevalonate kinase [ATP:(R)-mevalonate 5-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.36] may be a regulatory site in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, and a mutation in the gene coding for this enzyme is thought to cause the genetic disease mevalonic aciduria. To characterize this enzyme, a rat liver cDNA library was screened with a monospecific antibody, and a 1.7-kilobase cDNA clone coding for mevalonate kinase was isolated. The complete DNA sequence was determined, and the longest open reading frame coded for a protein containing 395 amino acids with a deduced molecular weight of 41,990. Identification of the cDNA clone was confirmed by expression of enzyme activity in yeast and by protein sequence data obtained from sequencing purified rat mevalonate kinase. The deduced amino acid sequence of mevalonate kinase contained a motif for the ATP-binding site found in protein kinases, and it also showed sequence homology to the yeast RAR1 protein. The size of mevalonate kinase mRNA in rat liver was approximately 2 kilobases. Treatment with diets containing cholesterol-lowering agents caused an increase in both mevalonate kinase activity and mRNA levels, whereas diets containing 5% cholesterol lowered the levels of both enzyme activity and mRNA. These data indicate that long-term regulation of enzyme activity in rat liver is controlled by changes in the levels of mevalonate kinase mRNA.

Purification of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase from human and rat liver and production of inhibiting polyclonal antibodies

Cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, the cytochrome P-450-dependent and rate-controlling enzyme of bile acid synthesis, was purified from rat and human liver microsomes. The purified fractions were assayed in a reconstituted system containing [4-14C]cholesterol, and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activities in these fractions increased 500-600-fold relative to whole microsomes. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of rat microsomes followed by immunoblotting with polyclonal rabbit antisera raised against purified cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylases revealed two peaks at molecular masses of 47,000 and 49,000 daltons for both rat and human fractions. Increasing amounts of rabbit anti-rat and anti-human antibodies progressively inhibited rat microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity up to 80%. In contrast, monospecific antibodies raised against other purified cytochrome P-450 enzymes (P-450f, P-450g, and P-450j) did not inhibit rat or human cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity. Immunoblots of rat microsomes with the rabbit anti-rat cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase antibody demonstrated that the antibody reacted quantitatively with the rat microsomal enzyme. Microsomes from cholesterol-fed rats showed increased cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase mass, whereas treatment with pravastatin, an inhibitor of hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, reduced enzyme mass. Microsomes from starved rats contained slightly less cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase protein than chow-fed control rats. These results indicate a similarity in molecular mass, structure, and antigenicity between rat and human cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylases; demonstrate the production of inhibiting anti-cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase antibodies that can be used to measure the change in cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase enzyme mass under various conditions; and emphasize the unique structure of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase with respect to other cytochrome P-450-dependent hydroxylases.

Purification and regulation of mevalonate kinase from rat liver

Mevalonate kinase may play a key role in regulating cholesterol biosynthesis because its activity may be regulated via feedback inhibition by intermediates in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. To study the regulation of mevalonate kinase, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity from rat liver, and monospecific antibody against mevalonate kinase was prepared. The purified mevalonate kinase had a dimeric structure composed of identical subunits, and the Mr of the enzyme determined by gel chromatography was 86,000. Based on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the subunit Mr was 39,900. The pI for mevalonate kinate was 6.2. The levels of mevalonate kinase protein and enzyme activity were determined in the livers of rats treated with either cholesterol-lowering agents (cholestyramine, pravastatin, and lovastatin) or with dietary modifications. Diets containing cholestyramine alone or cholestyramine and either pravastatin or lovastatin increased mevalonate kinase activity 3-6-fold. Mevalonate kinase activity decreased approximately 50% in rats treated with diets containing either 5% cholesterol or 5% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid. Fasting did not significantly change mevalonate kinase activity. The amount of mevalonate kinase protein in the liver was quantitated using immunoblots, and the changes in the levels of kinase activity induced by either drug treatment or by cholesterol feeding were correlated with similar changes in the levels of mevalonate kinase protein. Therefore, under these experimental conditions, mevalonate kinase activity in the liver was regulated principally by changes in the rates of enzyme synthesis and degradation.

Tissue-selective acute effects of inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase on cholesterol biosynthesis in lens

Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the key enzyme that regulates cholesterol synthesis, lower serum cholesterol by increasing the activity of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors in the liver. In rat liver slices, the dose-response curves for inhibition of [14C]acetate incorporation into cholesterol were similar for the active acid forms of lovastatin, simvastatin, and pravastatin. The calculated IC50 values were approximately 20-50 nM for all three drugs. Interest in possible extrahepatic effects of reductase inhibitors is based on recent findings that some inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase, lovastatin and simvastatin, can cause cataracts in dogs at high doses. To evaluate the effects of these drugs on cholesterol synthesis in the lens, we developed a facile, reproducible ex vivo assay using lenses from weanling rats explanted to tissue culture medium. [14C]Acetate incorporation into cholesterol was proportional to time and to the number of lenses in the incubation and was completely eliminated by high concentrations of inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase. At the same time, incorporation into free fatty acids was not inhibited. In marked contrast to the liver, the dose-response curve for pravastatin in lens was shifted two orders of magnitude to the right of the curves for lovastatin acid and simvastatin acid. The calculated IC50 values were 4.5 +/- 0.7 nM, 5.2 +/- 1.5 nM, and 469 +/- 42 nM for lovastatin acid, simvastatin acid, and pravastatin, respectively. Thus, while equally active in the liver, pravastatin was 100-fold less inhibitory in the lens compared to lovastatin and simvastatin. Similar selectivity was observed with rabbit lens. Following oral dosing, ex vivo inhibition of [14C]acetate incorporation into cholesterol in rat liver was similar for lovastatin and pravastatin, but cholesterol synthesis in lens was inhibited by lovastatin by as much as 70%. This inhibition was dose-dependent and no inhibition in lens was observed with pravastatin even at very high doses. This tissue-selective inhibition of sterol synthesis by pravastatin was likely due to the inability of pravastatin to enter the intact lens since pravastatin and lovastatin acid were equally effective inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase enzyme activity in whole lens homogenates. We conclude that pravastatin is tissue-selective with respect to lens and liver in its ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis.

Localization of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA synthase in the rat liver and intestine is affected by cholestyramine and mevinolin

In the normal fed rat, both 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) synthase and HMG-CoA reductase are found in high concentrations in hepatocytes that are localized periportally. The majority of the liver cells show little or no evidence of either enzyme. Addition of cholestyramine and mevinolin to the diet resulted in all liver cells showing strong positive staining for both HMG-CoA reductase and HMG-CoA synthase. These two drugs increased the hepatic HMG-CoA reductase and HMG-CoA synthase activities 92- and 6-fold, respectively, and also increased the HMG-CoA reductase activity in intestine, heart, and kidney 3- to 15-fold. We used immunofluorescence and avidin-biotin labeled antibody to localize HMG-CoA reductase in the rat intestine. In rats fed a normal diet, the most HMG-CoA reductase-positive cells were the villi of the ileum greater than jejunum greater than duodenum. Crypt cells showed no evidence of HMG-CoA reductase. Addition of cholestyramine and mevinolin to the diet led to a dramatic increase in the concentration of HMG-CoA reductase in the apical region of the villi of the ileum and jejunum and in the crypt cells of the duodenum. Hence these two drugs affected both the relative concentration and distribution of intestinal HMG-CoA reductase. Cholestyramine and mevinolin feeding induced in the liver, but not intestine, whorls of smooth endoplasmic reticulum that were proximal to the nucleus and contained high concentrations of HMG-CoA reductase. Administration of mevalonolactone led to the rapid dissolution of the hepatic whorls within 15 min, at a time when there is little or no change in the mass of HMG-CoA reductase. We conclude that the whorls are present in the livers of rats fed cholestyramine and mevinolin because the cells are deprived of a cellular product normally synthesized from mevalonate.

Molecular cloning and sequence of a cholesterol-repressible enzyme related to prenyltransferase in the isoprene biosynthetic pathway

Differential hybridization and molecular cloning have been used to isolate CR39, a cDNA which hybridizes to a 1.2-kilobase (kb) mRNA in rat liver. The level of CR39 mRNA was increased seven- to ninefold over normal levels by dietary cholestyramine and mevinolin and decreased about fourfold compared with normal levels by cholesterol feeding or administration of mevalonate. Similar changes in the mRNA levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and HMG-CoA synthase were observed under the various conditions. In vitro translation of either CR39 hybrid selected RNA or 1.2-kb CR39 RNA generated by an SP6 in vitro transcription system produced a polypeptide of 39,000 daltons. As deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a full-length CR39 cDNA, the rat CR39 polypeptide contained 344 amino acids and had a molecular weight of 39,615. The predicted amino acid composition and submit molecular weight of the rat CR39 were very similar to those of prenyltransferases isolated from chicken, pig, and human. The sequence of amino acid residues 173 through 203 in the rat CR39 polypeptide showed that 17 out of 30 matched an active-site peptide of avian liver prenyltransferase. Thus, alterations in the rate of cholesterogenesis resulted in the coordinate regulation of three mRNAs encoding HMG-CoA reductase, HMG-CoA synthase, and CR39, the latter being tentatively identified as prenyltransferase.

Regulation of rat liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase and the chromosomal localization of the human gene

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase was purified to homogeneity from rat liver cytoplasm. The active enzyme is a dimer composed of identical subunits of Mr = 53,000. The amino acid composition and the NH2-terminal sequence are presented. Partial cDNA clones for the enzyme were isolated by screening of a rat liver lambda gt11 expression library with antibodies raised against the purified protein. The identity of the clones was confirmed by hybrid selection and translation. When rats were fed diets supplemented with cholesterol, cholestyramine, or cholestyramine plus mevinolin, the hepatic protein mass of cytoplasmic synthase, as determined by immunoblotting, was 25, 160, and 1100%, respectively, of the mass observed in rats fed normal chow. Comparable changes in enzyme activity were observed. Approximately 9-fold increases in both HMG-CoA synthase mRNA mass and synthase mRNA activity were observed when control diets were supplemented with cholestyramine and mevinolin. When rats were fed these two drugs and then given mevalonolactone by stomach intubation, there was a 5-fold decrease of synthase mRNA within 3 h. These results indicate that cytoplasmic synthase regulation occurs primarily at the level of mRNA. This regulation is rapid and coordinate with that observed for HMG-CoA reductase. The chromosomal localization of human HMG-CoA synthase was determined by examining a panel of human-mouse somatic cell hybrids with the rat cDNA probe. Interestingly, the synthase gene resides on human chromosome 5, which has previously been shown to contain the gene for HMG-CoA reductase. Regional mapping, performed by examination of a series of chromosome 5 deletion mutants and by in situ hybridization to human chromosomes indicates that the two genes are not tightly clustered.

Inhibition of lysosomal protein degradation inhibits the basal degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase

The effect of inhibiting lysosomal protein degradation on the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase was determined using a mouse mammary cell line (TS-85) which expresses a temperature-sensitive mutation in the ubiquitin degradative pathway. Incubating cells for 18 hr in medium containing 20 mM NH4Cl did not alter total protein synthesis or cell growth, but it did inhibit the rate of total protein degradation by 19%, which is consistent with the known inhibitory effect of NH4Cl on lysosomal protein degradation. NH4Cl treatment also resulted in an increase (81% +/- 20) in HMG-CoA reductase activity. The increase in reductase activity was not correlated with changes in the phosphorylation state of the enzyme or with alteration in the relative rate of reductase synthesis. However, the basal degradation rate of the reductase was significantly inhibited, and after NH4Cl treatment, the half-life of the enzyme increased from 4.0 +/- 0.4 hr to 8.3 +/- 0.8 hr. The change in the rate of reductase degradation can account completely for the increase in reductase activity observed in NH4Cl-treated cells. The accelerated degradation of HMG-CoA reductase induced by 25-hydroxycholesterol treatment was not affected by either NH4Cl or by inactivation of the ubiquitin degradative pathway. Therefore, two different mechanisms may be responsible for the accelerated degradation and basal degradation of HMG-CoA reductase. The latter can be inhibited by NH4Cl and may imply that under basal conditions the enzyme may be degraded in lysosomes.

Regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity in avian myeloblasts. Mode of action of 25-hydroxycholesterol

25-Hydroxycholesterol inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis by inhibiting the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. Addition of 25-hydroxycholesterol to chicken myeloblasts caused a rapid inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase activity, producing approximately an 80% decrease in enzyme activity after 60 min. The mode of action of 25-hydroxycholesterol was determined by immunoprecipitating radiolabeled enzyme from 25-hydroxycholesterol-treated myeloblasts. The decline in enzyme activity due to addition of 25-hydroxycholesterol was not associated with increased levels of [32P]PO4 incorporation into the immunoprecipitated reductase polypeptide (Mr = 94,000). Hence, 25-hydroxycholesterol did not appear to regulate reductase activity by enzyme phosphorylation, as observed for other modulators of HMG-CoA reductase. However, 25-hydroxycholesterol was shown to inhibit reductase activity by causing a 350% increase in the relative rate of reductase degradation and a 72% decrease in the relative rate of reductase synthesis. These alterations in the rates of degradation and synthesis occurred rapidly (within 10-30 min after addition of 25-hydroxycholesterol) and can account completely for the 25-hydroxycholesterol-induced inhibition of enzyme activity. The rapid decline in the rate of synthesis of HMG-CoA reductase in 25-hydroxycholesterol-treated cells was not associated with concomitant changes in the levels of reductase mRNA; therefore, suggesting that 25-hydroxycholesterol must inhibit the rate of reductase synthesis by translational regulation. We also present evidence that mRNA purified from chicken myeloblasts codes for two reductase polypeptides of Mr = 94,000 and 102,000.

Mevalonolactone inhibits the rate of synthesis and enhances the rate of degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in rat hepatocytes

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl(HMG)-coenzyme A reductase purified from rat liver in the absence of protease inhibitors is composed of two distinct polypeptides of Mr = 51,000 and 52,500. Antibody raised to enzyme purified from rats fed a diet supplemented with cholestyramine and mevinolin inactivated HMG-CoA reductase. The antibody specifically precipitated a polypeptide of Mr = 94,000 from rat liver cells that had been previously incubated with [35S]methionine. The immunoprecipitation of the 35S-labeled polypeptide of Mr = 94,000 was prevented by addition of unlabeled pure HMG-CoA reductase (Mr = 51,000 and 52,500). Incubation of rat liver cells with mevalonolactone resulted in a decreased activity of HMG-CoA reductase and in a 40% decrease in the rate of incorporation of [35S]methionine into the immunoprecipitable reductase polypeptide of Mr = 94,000. In pulse-chase experiments, mevalonolactone enhanced the rate of degradation of the Mr = 94,000 polypeptide 3-fold. We propose that endogenous microsomal HMG-CoA reductase has a subunit of Mr = 94,000 and that the synthesis and degradation of this polypeptide are regulated by either mevalonolactone or, more likely, a product of mevalonolactone metabolism.

Regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase mRNA levels in rat liver

Addition of cholestyramine or cholestyramine plus mevinolin to the diet has been reported to increase the activity and mass of rat liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase. The present data show that these same dietary manipulations cause an induction of functional reductase mRNA. RNA was isolated from rat livers and added to an in vitro translation system, and the reductase was immunoprecipitated and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. One protein was specifically immunoprecipitated and was found to have a Mr of 90,000 on 0.5 M urea/sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels and a Mr of 94,000 on 8 M urea/sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels. In animals fed rat chow supplemented with 5% cholestyramine and 0.1% mevinolin, reductase mRNA levels were 5.7-fold higher than in animals fed rat chow with 5% cholestyramine and were 16-fold higher than in animals fed rat chow with 5% cholestyramine and given mevalonolactone by stomach intubation. RNA isolated from animals fed a normal diet and killed at the nadir of the diurnal cycle of enzyme activity contained no detectable amounts of reductase mRNA as determined by this assay.

Isolation of poly A(+) RNA from Schistosoma mansoni and immunoprecipitation of its in vitro translation products

Total RNA was extracted from S. mansoni by homogenization in 4 M guanidine thiocyanate followed by centrifugation through cesium chloride. Poly A(+) RNA was isolated by oligo(dT)-cellulose chromatography. The recovered poly A(+) RNA was subsequently shown to stimulate protein synthesis in a cell-free, rabbit reticulocyte system. Among the translation products were polypeptides with molecular weights of 18, 20, 26, 39, 42, and 50 kilodaltons that were recognized by rabbit anti-schistosome-denuded body IgG. Human infection serum IgG precipitated polypeptides with molecular weights of 16, 18, 30, 35, 37, and 42 kilodaltons. These results identify several mRNA's that may provide useful templates for preparation of cDNA for eventual cloning or as probes in various related experiments.

The effect of cholestyramine and Mevinolin on the diurnal cycle of rat hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase

Rats were fed powdered rat chow or a rat chow diet containing 5% cholestyramine or 5% cholestyramine with Mevinolin (112 mg/100 g food, 200 mg/kg body weight per day). The specific activity of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase was determined at different times during the diurnal cycle of the enzyme. Animals fed cholestyramine had higher specific activities of HMG-CoA reductase at all time points tested when compared to controls. The specific activity at the peak in the diurnal cycle was approximately 8-fold higher in cholestyramine-treated animals. Rats administered the cholestyramine-Mevinolin diet had higher specific activities of the enzyme than either cholestyramine-treated or control animals. In the cholestyramine-Mevinolin-treated animals the peak in the diurnal cycle was shifted to D-12 (12th hour of the dark cycle) and the specific activity at this point was approximately 133-fold greater than the basal (L-6) activity in control animals. Optimal conditions for immunotitration studies were determined such that valid conclusions could be drawn from these data. Based on immunotitration experiments, the increased hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity in cholestyramine-treated animals resulted in part from a 3-fold activation of the enzyme, while the increased specific activity in the cholestyramine-Mevinolin-treated animals was due solely to increased enzyme mass. Hence the administration of Mevinolin blocked the activation of the enzyme induced by feeding cholestyramine alone. This was confirmed by purifying the enzyme to apparent homogeneity from cholestyramine-Mevinolin-treated animals; the specific activity of this enzyme was 4,000-7,700 nmol NADPH oxidized/min per mg protein. Cholestyramine-Mevinolin treatment affords a novel system for generating milligram quantities of rat hepatic HMG-CoA reductase.-Tanaka, R. D., P. A. Edwards, S. Lan, E. M. Knöppel, and A. M. Fogelman. The effect of cholestyramine and Mevinolin on the diurnal cycle of rat hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase.

Purification of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase from human liver

The enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase from human liver was purified to homogeneity. Electrophoresis of the purified human enzyme on non-denaturing gels revealed a single protein-staining band that co-migrated with reductase activity and could be selectively removed by treatment with cross-reacting antibody prepared to the purified reductase from rat liver. On SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified reductase showed only one protein-staining band corresponding to a molecular weight of approximately 52,000. Based on the sedimentation rate during sucrose density gradient centrifugation, most of the enzyme from crude solubilized preparations had an apparent molecular weight of approximately 104,000. The human reductase, like the rat liver enzyme, was dimeric and composed of subunits of approximately 50,000 molecular weight.

Effects of hycanthone and praziquantel on monoamine oxidase and cholinesterases in Schistosoma mansoni

The effects of hycanthone and praziquantel on the activities of monoamine oxidases and cholinesterases were studied in the 600-g supernatant from homogenates of Schistosoma mansoni and mouse liver or brain. Hycanthone was shown to be a very potent inhibitor of monoamine oxidases from worms and mouse liver. Hycanthone also inhibited the specific and nonspecific cholinesterases of S. mansoni, but cholinesterase from mouse brain was not affected significantly by this drug. Praziquantel showed no effect on monoamine oxidase from mouse liver or the parasite; however, it was slightly inhibitory to S. mansoni cholinesterases at very high concentrations. Mouse brain cholinesterase required an even higher concentration of praziquantel to observe inhibition. The inhibition of monoamine oxidase in S. mansoni by hycanthone adds a new mode of action to our knowledge of this compound, and suggests another possibility for the development of future anthelminthics.

Development of a cell-free protein-synthesizing system from Schistosoma mansoni and a comparison of the effects of hycanthone and praziquantel on this system

A cell-free, protein-synthesizing system was developed using polysomes and pH 5 fractions isolated from Schistosoma mansoni. Under optimal conditions, the system incorporated 35-S methionine into TCA-precipitable protein at a rate of approximately 1.8 pmoles/hr/microgram polysomal RNA. Praziquantel had no significant effect on the rate of protein synthesis, whereas hycanthone, at concentrations of 0.125 and 0.5 mM, caused a 136% and 515% stimulation, respectively. The mechanism of the stimulation is unknown. This S. mansoni--cell-free system for protein synthesis has been standardized so that new drugs can now be screened with relative ease for their effects on in vitro protein synthesis or charging of tRNA.

Schistosoma mansoni: identification of chemicals that attract or trap its snail vector, Biomphalaria glabrata

A new bioassay for chemical attractants of aquatic snails demonstrated that Biomphalaria glabrata could be attracted to or trapped in the vicinity of homogenates of lettuce. Fractionation of homogenates revealed the amino acids glutamate and proline and the primary attractants. Attraction was specific for the L form of glutamate. Proline appeared to stimulate reproductive activity. Glutathione, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and a number of other compounds had no effect. Extracts of lyophilized snail tissue also attracted other snails and may thus contain pheromones. These results permit formulation and testing of controlled-release attractants designed to overcome the repellant effects of slow-release molluscicides, as well as the design of stimulants to be used with no-release poisons.

An explanation of the apparent reversal of the circadian migration by Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda) in the rat

Hymenolepis diminuta exhibits 2 concurrent migrations: an age-dependent, forward migration and a circadian migration. In experiments where the age of worms was assumed to be uniform throughout the test-day, 2 patterns (7-day-old and 16-day-old) of circadian migration were seen and an apparent reversal in circadian pattern suggested. In experiments where the age of worms became progressively older during the test-day, only the 16-day-old pattern was seen and no reversal was observed. The 7-day-old pattern and hence the apparent reversal in circadian migration is postulated to be an artifact of the method whereby both the age and size of worms were presumed to be uniform throughout the test-day. The 7-day-old pattern results from comparing worms of unequal size and thus at different positions in their forward migration. Data on the daily variation of stomach contents of rats and the results from protein determinations of 6-day-old worms support this hypothesis. Therefore H. diminuta is believed to exhibit only the 16-day-old pattern of circadian migration: an anterior migration between 12 midnight and 6 AM, and a posterior migration between 12 noon and 6 PM.